American Quarter Horse

Fox with Stichelhaaren (red roan )

The American Quarter Horse (also Quarter Horse ), with over 4.6 million registered horses numerically the biggest horse race in the world.

Background information on the evaluation and breeding horses can be found at: exterior, interior and horse breeding.

Exterior

Short noble wedge head with a small mouth, small, movable ears and big eyes, pronounced jowls and forehead muscles, broad forehead; medium long neck, slightly in the neck with sufficient throatlatch, in square format standing with good saddle position; pronounced sloping shoulder, withers well marked, moderately long back with a strong loin, long, sloping, well muscled croup with deep an attached tail with lots of Gurttiefe, strong chest with good conformation; Foundation correctly and match the horse, short cannon bones, joints strong, hard hooves medium-sized, well-muscled forearm and leg.

Currently two different types of Quarter Horses are bred. One type is still compact and flexible. This horse is used for reining and cutting- disciplines. The second type is large, narrow and long. It is suitable for Pleasure, Horsemanship and Hunter disciplines.

Colors

All colors come before, and since 2004 can also be registered cremello Quarter Horses born with the American Quarter Horse Association, provided both parents are registered Quarter Horses, as demonstrated by genotyping both parents and foal. If one parent is a Paint Horse, the foal can be registered as a Paint Horse only with the American Paint Horse Association. Extensive badges are, however, still considered undesirable and not characteristic of the breed.

Especially typical is the coat pattern " Buckskin ". The term comes from the American and referred to the brightened by the Cream gene brown. This name is well established in the breeding of Quarter Horses. At first glance, these horses are sand-colored plain. However, they have a lot of different shades and markings. The colors range from yellow or gold with black markings. The color " grullo " ( mouse gray ) has a dorsal stripe and sometimes zebra stripes and shades. White markings are not appreciated and are only allowed below the carpus or hock. The predominant color is sorrel ( chestnut, 30%). Often the colors bay ( Brauner, 20%) and chestnut (welding Fuchs, 10%) and rare sable and mold are.

The AQHA knows 17 different coat colors (translated from: Reference Chart Color & Markings AQHA ):

Interior

Mostly quiet and friendly nature, sensitive, but very strong nerves, easily trainable and very trainable.

Breeding history

Horses were extinct in the Americas before the conquistadors they imported again. The Spaniards and Portuguese brought the Arabs, Berber and Andalusian horses into present-day Mexico. With the large currents settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries, their typical breeds of horses arrived at the Irish ponies, English thoroughbreds, but also Percherons and others.

The combination of these races and the descendants of the Spanish horse, the American Quarter Horse in a distinctive type and character breed of horse originated.

The name is derived from the Quarter Mile Races that were popular in the cities of the southern states in the late 18th century. This was to races where just the main street was blocked off by a about 440 yards ( 400 m) long distance and two horses competed against each other ( match racing ).

At the conquest of the West, the American Quarter Horse played a significant role. Only the toughest and most powerful animals existed in the daily struggle for survival. They were essential partners of cowboys, but also subjected to the plow of the farmer or the coach on Sunday to the church, to be subsequently stretched out and run a race. This versatility and reliability has become an essential feature that has maintained until today the breed.

The classic, muscular but quick and agile Quarter Horse is known today as "stock type". His later specialization has led to more or less clearly deviating types. They are named after the corresponding tournament disciplines of western riding. The " holder " type is to some extent the bodybuilder among Quarter Horses, the already strong muscling here is extreme. " Pleasure " Horses are easier to tend in type occasionally a bit towards Arabs ( head). Net on performance and less on appearance the horses bred for cattle work, their " cow sense " enables them almost to work independently with cattle and " reining " horses that are relatively small and light and thus are extremely agile. A special line represent the racing Quarter: today the race over short distances are the highest prize in the USA. Here was heavily crossed with whole blood, the only cross-breeding, which is still allowed. Animals from such crosses are entered into a so-called appendix register of the stud book and can earn by tournament or racing success full AQHA papers.